Dawn's Light

Chapter 4

Verbena turned down a seemingly random path with a huge grin on her muzzle as they ventured deeper into the cavern. 'How deep does this go?' She chirped in curiosity as she sniffed the air for hints of what was hidden deeper within.

"I don't know. I've never been down to the bottom." Celia admitted. The metal label on the tunnel called it "River Way," and arrows pointed downward with "The River" carved into the arrow. She had heard that there was a river underneath the mountain but had never seen it herself. The curious part of her wanted to see the river. "It may be fun." She smiled a bit, nervous but excited.

'Then let's go!' Verbena renewed her pace with increased vigor, 'I wanna find the river and swim in it!'

Celia smiled more as they passed tunnel after tunnel and the moss covered ground was less and less worn down. As they descended, bugs began to buzz around their heads in the near-constant warm temperatures, and the moss-covered walls became wetter and thicker. Celia began to feel like she needed to take off her coat in order to be comfortable in the warmer temperature.

After several moments of running, Verbena slowed and began to pant, hot and slightly exhausted from the heat and the exercise.

Celia frowned and patted Verbena's neck. "Are you all right?"

'I'm fine.' Verbena's thought speech went uninterrupted by her panting. After she paused to lick a dripping stalactite, she looked back to Celia. 'I'm gonna find more water.' Her nose flared as she sniffed for hints of larger bodies of water, then began to travel deeper into the cave.

Celia continued to hang onto her dragonet. "Would you like me to walk so you don't have to carry me?" Her brow creased as concern crossed her face.

'I strong. I can carry you.' Verbena held her head high in confidence. She paused, then turned her head towards the wall to their left. To Celia, it looked like more of the moss-covered wall, but to the human's surprise, Verbena moved the moss aside. 'The nearest large water source is down here.' She retracted her head.

Celia slid off of Verbena's back, then frantically grabbed the dragonet's neck as her shoes slipped on the slick stone ground. "I don't know about this." She said as she put her feet under her body again. She looked back down the main path with its partially worn moss path, then glanced back to the path Verbena was suggesting. "There doesn't seem to be a worn path down that way." She said, noting the complete lack of wear or markings in the tunnel.

Verbena looks to Celia. 'Please? I wanna go swim and not be thirsty anymore.' She begged with the cutest face she could manage; the lip quiver, the big eyes, the flattened large fluffy ears, the head tilt, everything. 'Please please please please pleeeeeaaaaasssseeee?'

Celia hesitated. She could easily say no and convince the dragonet that there was another source of water at the end of the path, but curiosity was also growing inside of her. She wondered hat could be down there if no one had been down the path no one had been down in who knows how long. With those thoughts, she decided to give in to her own curiosity and Verbena's begging.

"All right," she caved and climbed back onto her back, "let's go." Verbena gave her rider a draconic grin, then slipped through the wet moss. Celia shivered as the slimy substance slid like a swift snail across the exposed skin on her face and hands. The tunnel's ceiling was so low that there was barely enough space for Celia to lay flat on Verbena's back as she crawled back out through the tunnel.

"This place is so cool. I can't smell any dragons. Not even super old scents.' Verbena kept her head low so it wouldn't hit the ceiling. 'This place is amazing.' Her tail waved as she barely contained her excitement. She continued to carry Celia down the tunnel for a while but paused shortly after she rounded a corner. 'What's that yellow light?' She squinted slightly and leaned forward.